Verbena plant named ‘Duempstraw’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Verbena  plant named ‘Duempstraw’, characterized by its compact, mounding and cascading plant habit; freely branching habit; freely flowering habit; large red-colored  flowers that are held above and beyond the foliage in mounded umbels; and resistance to Powdery Mildew.

Botanical designation: Verbena hybrida

Cultivar denomination: ‘DUEMPSTRAW’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Verbena, botanically known as Verbena hybrida, and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Duempstraw’.

The new Verbena is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Rheinberg, Germany. The objective of the breeding program is to create new uniform Verbena cultivars with large and attractive flowers.

The new Verbena originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in August, 2002 in Rheinberg, Germany of a proprietary seedling selection of Verbena hybrida identified as code number V00-3814-1, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietary seedling selection of Verbena hybrida identified as code number V00-2813-3, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Verbena was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled environment in Rheinberg, Germany in May, 2005.

Asexual reproduction of the new Verbena by terminal cuttings in a controlled environment in Rheinberg, Germany since July, 2005 has shown that the unique features of this new Verbena are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar Duempstraw has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment and cultural practices such as temperature, daylength and light intensity without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Duempstraw’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Duempstraw’ as a new and distinct cultivar of Verbena:

-   -   1. Compact, mounding and cascading plant habit.     -   2. Freely branching habit.     -   3. Freely flowering habit.     -   4. Large red-colored flowers that are held above and beyond the         foliage in mounded umbels.     -   5. Resistant to Powdery Mildew.

Plants of the new Verbena can be compared to plants of the female parent selection. Plants of the new Verbena differ primarily from plants of the female parent selection in flower color as plants of the female parent selection have purple-colored flowers.

Plants of the new Verbena can be compared to plants of the male parent selection. Plants of the new Verbena differ from plants of the male parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Verbena have larger leaves than plants of         the male parent selection.     -   2. Plants of the new Verbena have larger flowers than plants of         the male parent selection.

Plants of the new Verbena can be compared to plants of the Verbena cultivar Sunmarisu, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,113. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Rheinberg, Germany, plants ofthe new Verbena differed from plants of the cultivar Sunmarisu in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Verbena had longer internodes than plants         of the cultivar Sunmarisu.     -   2. Plants of the new Verbena had longer leaves than plants of         the cultivar Sunmarisu.     -   3. Plants of the new Verbena had larger flowers than plants of         the cultivar Sunmarisu.     -   4. Plants of the new Verbena had longer peduncles than plants of         the cultivar Sunmarisu.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying colored photograph illustrates the overall appearance of the new Verbena, showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photograph may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Verbena.

The photograph comprises a close-up view of typical leaves and inflorescences of ‘Duempstraw’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photographs and following observations, measurements and values describe plants grown in Rheinberg, Germany in a glass-covered greenhouse during the spring and under conditions which closely approximate commercial production. During the production of the plants, day and night temperatures averaged 18° C. and light levels averaged 4,500 lux. Plants were pinched one time about one week after planting. Plants were about 16 weeks old when the photograph and the description were taken. In the description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Verbena hybrida cultivar Duempstraw. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary seedling selection of             Verbena hybrida identified as code number V00-3814-1, not             patented.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Proprietary seedling selection of             Verbena hybrida identified as code number V00-2813-3, not             patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—Terminal cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots.—About ten days at 20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted cutting, summer.—About 21 days at             20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted cutting, winter.—About 25 days at             20° C.         -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous; white in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; dense. -   Plant description:     -   -   Plant habit.—Initially upright, then mounding to cascading             plant habit; compact growth habit. Freely branching habit             with about four to six primary lateral branches with             secondary lateral branches potentially forming at every             node; pinching enhances lateral branch development; dense             and bushy plant habit. Moderately vigorous growth habit.         -   Plant height.—About 15 cm.         -   Plant diameter.—About 20 cm. -   Lateral branch description:     -   -   Length.—About 16 cm.         -   Diameter.—About 2 mm.         -   Internode length.—About 4.75 cm.         -   Texture.—Pubescent.         -   Color.—144A. -   Foliage description:     -   -   Arrangement.—Opposite, simple.         -   Length.—About 4.8 cm.         -   Width.—About 2.5 cm.         -   Shape.—Lanceolate; deeply dissected; doubly pinnatifid.         -   Apex.—Acute.         -   Base.—Attenuate.         -   Margin.—Deeply dissected.         -   Texture, upper and lower surfaces.—Pubescent, coarse.         -   Venation pattern.—Pinnate.         -   Color.—Developing and fully expanded foliage, upper surface:             146A; venation, 146D. Developing and fully expanded foliage,             lower surface: 146B; venation, 146D.         -   Petiole length.—About 5 mm.         -   Petiole diameter.—About 2 mm.         -   Petiole texture, upper and lower surfaces.—Smooth,             pubescent.         -   Petiole color, upper surface.—146A.         -   Petiole color, lower surface.—146B. -   Flower description:     -   -   Flower arrangement and habit.—Salverform flowers arranged in             hemispherical terminal umbels; umbels dense and mounding;             numerous umbels covering the entire plant. Flowers face             upward or outward. Freely flowering habit with about 50             flowers and flower buds per inflorescence. Flowers not             fragrant.         -   Natural flowering season.—Plants flower continuously from             the spring through the fall in Germany.         -   Flower longevity.—Individual flowers last about one week on             the plant. Flowers persistent.         -   Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 4.5 cm. Height: About             5.5 cm.         -   Flowers.—Appearance: Flared trumpet, corolla fused,             five-parted. Diameter: About 2.5 cm. Depth: About 2.7 cm.         -   Flower buds.—Length: About 1.6 cm. Diameter: About 3.5 mm.             Shape: Oval, tubular. Color: 146A.         -   Corolla.—Arrangement: Single whorl of five fused petals.             Petal lobe length: About 3.3 cm. Petal lobe width: About             1 cm. Petal lobe shape: Obovate. Petal lobe apex: Emarginate             to cordate. Petal margin: Entire. Petal texture, upper and             lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous; velvety. Color: Petal,             when opening, upper surface: 45B to 45C. Petal, when             opening, lower surface: 46C. Petal, fully opened, upper             surface: 45B to 45D; color becoming closer to 45C to 45D             with development. Petal, fully opened, lower surface: 46D.         -   Calyx.—Arrangement: Star-shaped calyx with five fused             sepals. Sepal length: About 1.3 cm. Sepal width: About 1 mm.             Sepal shape: Ligulate. Sepal apex: Acute. Sepal margin:             Entire. Sepal texture, upper and lower surfaces: Pubescent,             coarse. Sepal color, upper and lower surfaces: 146D and             144A.         -   Peduncles.—Length: About 7.4 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm.             Strength: Strong. Texture: Pubescent. Color: 144A.         -   Pedicels.—Length: About 0.5 mm. Diameter: About 0.5 mm.             Strength: Strong. Texture: Smooth, glabrous. Color: 144A.         -   Reproductive organs: Stamens: Quantity/arrangement: About             four to five per flower, adnate to corolla tube. Filament             length: About 1 mm. Filament color: Close to 145D. Anther             shape: Oval. Anther length: About 0.75 mm. Anther color:             144B. Pollen amount: Moderate. Pollen color: 2D. Pistils:             Quantity: One per flower. Pistil length: About 1.8 cm.             Stigma shape: Bi-parted. Stigma color: 144A. Style length:             About 1.6 cm. Style color: 144D. Ovary color: 144C.             Fruits/seed: Fruit and seed development have not been             observed. -   Temperature tolerance: Plants of the new Verbena have been observed     to tolerate temperatures from about 5° C. to about 35° C. -   Pathogen/pest resistance: Plants of the new Verbena have been     observed to be resistant to Powdery Mildew. Plants of the new     Verbena have not been observed to be resistant to pests and other     pathogens common to Verbenas. 

1. A new and distinct Verbena plant named ‘Duempstraw’ as illustrated and described. 